Scott County scores on first five possessions, knocks out Lafayette 42-28

GEORGETOWN — What happened after Friday night's game at Toyota Stadium is unclear.

But what happened during the Class 6A quarterfinal state football matchup was clear.

Ben Lawler ran for two touchdowns and passed for two, all in the first half, as Scott County manhandled Lafayette 42-28.

Scott County (10-3) will play host to Male, a 14-7 winner over Henderson County on Friday, in next weekend's semifinals. The Cardinals have won 10 in a row since losing their first three games of the season.

Lafayette (7-6) also lost to Scott County last month, 47-20.

Friday's post-game award ceremony never took place.

Instead, before the teams could complete the line to shake hands, players from both teams sprinted toward the home locker room which is under the stands.

Pushing and shoving ensued — it was not clear if any punches were thrown — but coaches and security staff stepped in to prevent an all-out brawl, and five police cars were on the scene in minutes.

Also unclear was what precipitated the altercation after a physical game that included several penalties for personal fouls.

Asked for his version, Hayden pursed his lips and indicated he didn't know. Said McKee: "I have no idea what happened. All our kids are OK and, hopefully, all their kids are OK. There's no place for it in the game of football, and it's a shame that it happened. I'm sure that there are 1,000 versions, but there's always two sides of every story."

Just one version of the game, though.

The Cardinals had this one in hand at the end of the first quarter, leading 21-0 and perched on Lafayette's 1-yard line.

Scott led 42-6 at intermission.

Lafayette made it look closer with 22 points in the fourth quarter.

The Cards scored on their first five possessions.

"We played well in all three phases of the game and we've continued to improve each down," McKee said. "And our focus is on continuing to get better each down."

Lawler passed to James Happy for a 30-yard touchdown and to Josh Walls for a 17-yarder.

Lawler then scored on a pair of sneaks, from 2 yards and 1. The first was set up by Happy's 42-yard punt return to the Lafayette 15. The second came three plays after Jordan Sinclair's interception and return to the Generals' 8.

A Marcus Hill interception in his own end zone, which he returned to the Scott 42, set up the fifth touchdown. Fittingly, Hill got the call on fourth-and-goal from the 1.

Lafayette finally broke through when Bubba Johnson tallied on a 2-yard burst with 4:27 left in the first half.

But the PAT was partially blocked, and Happy returned the kickoff 90 yards for a TD.

With Lawler and his starting backfield sitting most of the second half, Lafayette rallied in the fourth quarter on a Darvin Hardin 6-yard touchdown run and two touchdown passes from Matt Britt to Tanner Napier for 28 and 72 yards.

"Played a good team," Hayden said. "It was a tough match."

Lafayette actually had more total yards than the Cards, 395 yards to 232, but couldn't overcome three interceptions.

Scott County's Blake Irvin tackled Bubba Johnson in the first quarter of Friday's game in Georgetown. The hosts led 42-6 at halftime and played substitutes on offense much of the second half. Pablo Alcala | Staff

Never miss a local story.

Sign up today for a free 30 day free trial of unlimited digital access.